


To Nimue

by ceasefire



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Fluff and Smut, M/M, Post-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-26
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 06:38:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5081476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceasefire/pseuds/ceasefire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sorey wants to explore the world that he left behind as he slept. Mikleo wonders if he is ready to see it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Nimue

**Author's Note:**

> Nimue is one of the names used for the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend.
> 
> Lazily self-beta'd. I apologize for any mistakes!

Sorey still sleeps through most nights, despite his body no longer needing to rest as much as it used to. It's a strange and endearing element to him that strikes Mikleo as almost entirely human. As if Sorey could be anything other than what he always was, Mikleo's brain supplies with quiet reassurance, even if his time with Maotelus has taken him beyond humanity. When he wakes, he does so quietly and usually tells Mikleo that he dreamed of their journey in a way that makes Mikleo think that Sorey is already yearning for a world he may not yet be ready to return to.

(There's a term that comes to mind when Mikleo's eyes linger on Sorey's peaceful features; "sleeping like a baby". He thinks it must be a human invention that's made its ways into the Seraphim vernacular because he's never heard of a baby seraph sleeping. His mind wanders back to a memory preserved within the earthen historia, of the too-small human baby that Sorey had once been sleeping peacefully, held aloft by Gramps out of the way of harm, and to the memory of his infant self staring vacantly out at a world that had just changed for him dramatically. They always crept up when he least expected, the small things he could ask any seraph but he wished he'd asked Gramps.)

Mikleo doesn't sleep so much as he simply rests, and he does so much less than a human would; sleep is an optional activity for Seraphim, much like eating, but that isn't to say that he doesn't enjoy it. When he rests, Mikleo lets his thoughts wind down to a quiet hum in the back of his mind, closes his eyes before they strain from reading over the manuscript of his book with Sorey. He'd finished most of it years ago -- centuries even, because Rose and Alisha had both read it before they'd passed on, and he'd needed to rewrite several parts over time as the paper and ink showed their age. But it had never been fully completed until Sorey had awoken, and it was only a few weeks prior that he'd sat down to write the epilogue. Sorey's head had been resting in his lap and he'd held his notebook over his friend's face to shield his eyes from the sun as they'd sat near the sheer cliffs of Elysia, looking down over the world that had been the stage for their grand adventure. Sorey had tried to feign sleep, but the tiny upwards twitches of the corners of his lips every time he'd heard the scratching of Mikleo's nib pen on the paper had given him away. By the time he'd finished, the sun was bleeding orange across the horizon and Sorey was fully alert and trying his best to steal pages to read, even as Mikleo pouted and tried to keep them confined to the one neat stack.

Later on, after they've habitually eaten dinner and dessert (and Sorey, even after several months, still can't stop complimenting the hundreds of years of improvement to Mikleo's cooking), they settle down to read over the draft of Mikleo's book -- less book and more detailed history now -- side-by-side on the bed. It's an activity that's temporarily replaced their habitual readings of ancient lore and of archaeological documents; Mikleo is sure that Sorey wants to catch up on the discoveries that were made while he slept, but he's yet to complain about the change. The mixture of emotions that run across Sorey's face as he reads their own story in Mikleo's words is all kinds of amazing to Mikleo, and even if he does like to tease Sorey about why he's asking for his help considering Sorey's questionable taste and skill in literature, his friend takes it with good grace. The happiness Sorey exuded as he read the pages recalling the days of their journey, the push-pull of happiness and sadness as he read of their dedication to keeping Camlann free of malevolence as he slept, his surprise at the scale of the grand affair that had been Alisha's wedding; Mikleo made sure to capture each expression in his mind's eye and then stow each away in his heart for safekeeping.

It had been late when they'd finally retired the previous night, so late that it was closer to being early. It was Sorey's fault too, Mikleo thinks with only the most vague sense of annoyance, but he should have expected Sorey to refuse to stop reading until he'd finished the chapter explaining how the Diphda family had been reduced to mere ceremonial monarchs by political changes hundreds of years after Alisha had passed. Sorey had missed out on almost a millennium of change in the human world, and Mikleo couldn't help but indulge and encourage him to fill in the gaps, even if Sorey would have happily done it of his own accord anyway. 

While Sorey rests, Mikleo spends the night drifting in and out of consciousness with the warmth and weight of Sorey's body pressed against his back, something that was only just now beginning to become familiar again. A quick glance at the stain of yellow sunrise creeping through their window told him it was around the time that Sorey usually awoke, and he counted each of Sorey's breaths in between that thought and the moment that he stirred with a sound that was more like one that the prickleboars outside would make than anything coming from a human or seraph. Mikleo smiles and hums when Sorey makes a noise that sounds like his name slurred by a groan and a yawn.

"Mmmmik…. lo."

"Eloquent as always."

"'S nice…" Sorey mumbles, one arm slinging itself clumsily over Mikleo's midsection, "when you… compliment…"

"That's a big word for you this early in the morning."

Mikleo feels the tips of Sorey's hair tickle his back as he nods. "There you go again… thanks…"

"You must be more tired than I thought," Mikleo declares, voice stern but features soft. "Did you sleep well?"

Sorey nods slowly, hand curling into a fist and then spreading flat against the skin below Mikleo's navel. The movement makes Mikleo shiver and Sorey pulls him closer, mistaking his reaction for a reflexive response to the cool morning air. 

"I dreamt about our first time outside of Elysia... when we reached the outskirts of town just in time to see the sun rise over Ladylake."

They're both silent for a few moments after that, and completely still save for the calm rise and fall of their breaths. Mikleo can feel the changes in Sorey's body gradually when they're like this, so close that they don't even leave room for the air between them, and the gradual tension that he can feel running through Sorey's muscles makes Mikleo crane his neck to look over his shoulder at him.

"What's wrong?"

Sorey lets out a small sigh, fingers drumming absentmindedly against the curve of Mikleo's hipbone.

"I… I want to go back to Ladylake, Mikleo."

Now it's Mikleo's turn to tense up; he inhales a little too sharply for it to go unnoticed and turns back around to try and hide some of the concern on his face.

"It's changed a lot."

And that's the only reason why Mikleo has been hesitating to venture out into the human world since Sorey had awoken; the shock of such change. Elysia is the same as always and it would always be their home, but he knows well that he can only delay their departure for so long. Where Seraphim were steadfast and enduring, humanity marched forward and built the paths they wanted to take themselves if they didn't form fast enough for their liking. If something no longer suits humanity's purpose, it's simply left behind on their great journey of progress.

The same could be said for Ladylake itself.

"Well, I figured that would be the case," Sorey replies, laughing sheepishly. "It's been a long time since I was there, after all."

Mikleo feels the slightest hint of warmth rise to his cheeks as he realized how ridiculously obvious what he'd said had been, but Sorey laughs again and leans over to kiss the hint of blush away.

"I know that it's probably going to be hard to adjust to all the changes at first… I didn't ever think it would be easy. But we have to start somewhere, right? Staying here forever wouldn't work, after all," Sorey says, the grin on his face obvious in his tone, "we still have dreams to work towards, right?"

Mikleo nods slowly, but without hesitation. It has always been Sorey's destiny to leave Elysia, and it has always been his own destiny to stay by Sorey's side. Their duties as a Shepherd and Sub Lord may have been long over, but that didn't mean that they still didn't have their dreams to pursue. In fact, the prospect of returning to exploring ruins with Sorey is easily overcoming whatever doubt he had been feeling before.

"We can leave this afternoon, if you want."

"Really?" Sorey asks. "Can we even manage it on such short notice?"

"I don't know," Mikleo replies with an exaggerated shrug. "Last time we left Elysia, you did it faster than this if I recall correctly."

"You've got me there," Sorey says with a laugh, and a moment later Mikleo finds himself flipped onto his back with Sorey's lips against his own, warm and rough and wonderful.

When they part, Mikleo gives Sorey a questioning look and gets a grin in response.

"Thank you, Mikleo."

"Hmm? For what?"

Sorey shrugs happily and tilts his head to one side. "For a lot of things. For helping me. For worrying about me. For waiting for me."

Mikleo feels just the slightest bit embarrassed when Sorey leans in once again to kiss the hints of pink that has appeared on the lines of his cheekbones, but when Sorey's hand seeks his own he doesn't hesitate to link Sorey's fingers with his own.

"You don't have to thank me for any of that."

"I know, I know, but I want to," Sorey says, flopping down against Mikleo's body so bonelessly that it knocks some of the air out of Mikleo's lungs despite their closeness. "Ah… hey, Mikleo…"

They are still so close that the tips of their noses touch when Sorey props himself up on his forearms, and Mikleo can feel heat against his skin as he nuzzles Sorey's cheek. He wonders whether feigning ignorance or teasing is worth the bother when Sorey is already so close, but in the end the shy, hopeful expression on Sorey's face is too much for him to resist. A firm kiss, maybe a little too rough on reflection, is all it takes to bring them together. Mikleo's breaths break into soft moans as Sorey kisses him, starting deep and then softening as they run out of air, and into suppressed, breathless laughter as Sorey's fingertips skim down his sides. 

Mikleo feels a heaviness different to his attempts at sleep cloud his mind as Sorey slides down, guiding his thighs apart with just a hint of impatience that makes arousal flutter warm low in Mikleo's belly. This is still as raw and new as Sorey's new waking life as a seraph, miles from the awkward kisses shared under the cover of darkness at nearly every inn across Glenwood and even from the awkward, perfect first time that was steeped as deeply in discovery as it was passion. Mikleo didn't mind then if it wasn't perfect, and he doesn't mind now either, because it was Sorey and that was what mattered.

Of course, just as his hazy mind was drifting back to experimental touches and whispered questions of _does this feel good, is this okay_ , Mikleo feels the pressure of slick fingers against him that curl and twist just perfectly once they are inside of him and remembers that Sorey, for all his innocence and shyness at times, was a damn fast learner. Mikleo's body rewards this action with a moan of Sorey's name and an upward roll of his hips, its refusal to listen to his mind and make this last almost irreverent. Around the time that Mikleo feels Sorey's tongue leave a warm, wet stripe from curve of thigh, along the length of his cock and to the crown, his mind goes almost entirely blank and leaves his body to its own devices.

He cracks on eye open and is met with Sorey's grin over him, around him as Sorey's lips part and Mikleo's cock slides over the roughness of Sorey's tongue to the back of his throat, a little too far for comfort despite Sorey's attempts to hold on. He pulls away with his left hand over his mouth and his right still working Mikleo open, but Mikleo shushes him as he opens his mouth to apologize and guides him closer until they are pressed together again, rolling his hips and feeling the hot slide of Sorey's cock sliding against the sensitive skin between body and thigh. Sorey shuffles around blindly, rolling his hips forward as Mikleo strains to spread his legs wider and then suddenly --

_Ah._

They moan in almost perfect unison as Sorey pushes inside, too fast but so good, and if it weren't for how perfect it felt Mikleo could almost have laughed at how ridiculous they'd sounded. It doesn't matter now though, it never had with Sorey, and Mikleo licked his lips wet and moved his body in time with Sorey's, the other man's soft moans a constant presence against the shell of his ear. 

Before long, Sorey's pants draw out into soft whimpers and moans and a choked-sounding gasp of Mikleo's name, a warning. He gasps in response as Mikleo's legs lock around his waist, soft skin slipping against the slick of sweat as Mikleo holds him steady and whispers against Sorey's neck.

_Inside. Inside me._

With a shudder and a gasp, Sorey's back arches sharply and he stills inside Mikleo, release taking his breath and his strength to the extent that he can do nothing but moan weakly as Mikleo's hips continue to roll. It's only a few moments before sensitivity begins to make Mikleo's movements uncomfortable that the other man comes, release staining their skin, warm and slick. Sorey's arms slide upwards, between the sheets and the loose strands of Mikleo's hair, and Mikleo turns his head to press his lips to Sorey's clenched fist, his wrist, and the tips of his fingertips as Sorey let his weight fall boneless against him once again.

They both come down slowly. It takes several minutes for Sorey to lift himself up off of Mikleo, but he doesn't move away; instead, he presses a chaste kiss to Mikleo's lips and smiles down at him. Mikleo returns his smile initially, but gradually wrinkles his nose and squirms as the need to bathe and recuperate overwhelms.

"… maybe we'll leave tomorrow morning instead. I'm tired."

"Of course," Sorey says with a grin, and draws him close again despite the mess and the water seraph's half-hearted protests.

* * *

"Wow!"

Mikleo can't help but smile at Sorey's excitement. He'd been worried that the changes to the world would overwhelm him at first, but so far he's seen nothing but amazement and curiosity from his friend. Ladylake is one of the human cities that has changed the most in the past few centuries; limited by its location, it had towered up rather than expanding out. Huge buildings housing many families tower to the skies above, vehicles have mostly replaced horses and carts, and many of the landmarks that had come to be familiar sights during Sorey's journey as shepherd are now blocked off but cared for reverently, treasured as precious landmarks of the city's history.

"This is amazing, Mikleo!"

Sorey is getting some odd looks as he dodges through the crowds, but even that is making him smile and Mikleo knows why; they can see him. Although there was still a certain degree of separation between humans and seraphim, it's much less than what it used to be and Mikleo can't recall the last time he'd heard of a human who couldn't at least sense the presence of a seraph nearby. 

This is what they had worked for. And though it had taken hundreds of years, the results were now right before their eyes.

"I think it would be best to stay here for a few days," Mikleo muses. "And then we'll move on to…"

Sorey pauses as Mikleo trails off, uncertain, but he continues a few seconds later with his resolve apparently steeled.

"We'll move on to the ruins of Marlind. And to the city of Amhar, which was built in its place when the population outgrew Marlind's means."

Relieved to see Sorey's smile grow as he talked, Mikleo smiles and moves to catch up to him.

It would be an honour to show Sorey the world they had dreamed of.


End file.
